Woman’s lawsuit says she was drugged at Portland firm’s holiday party, then fired after seeking help

A woman who claims she was drugged at a holiday party for a Portland marketing firm is suing her former employer, claiming she was fired after asking for accommodations while she recovered.

Diana Salas said she was drugged at the party for TrueLine Publishing on Dec. 18, 2016. Her federal lawsuit said Hamjil Carr, the president of the firm, encouraged her to do shots at the party and she feared she was drugged at the event.

The suit doesn’t allege that Carr drugged her and doesn’t specify what Salas believes she was drugged with. The suit also says that Salas filed a complaint with Portland police a few days after the party and the police opened an investigation, but doesn’t say whether the investigation was completed and what the police determined.

Salas said that after the incident at the party, she was diagnosed with acute stress disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder, and she asked for permission to be able to work alone while she was treated for those disorders.

Instead, in early January, Salas’ suit alleges, she was fired. According to a memo from the company’s human resources manager, the suit said, “it appears you are unhappy with your job” and then makes a reference to a lack of collaboration between Salas and other members of the firm’s design team.

According to Salas, the human resources manager told her the firing was not because of her work, the suit said.

Calls to Jeffrey Bennett, Salas’ lawyer, were not returned Thursday.

In a statement from Erica Berry, a spokeswoman for TrueLine, the company denied Salas’s allegations.

Berry’s statement said the event was held at the Portland House of Music, and Portland police investigated Salas’ claims but eventually closed the case without filing charges. The statement said the company would not comment further “out of respect for the (Salas’) confidential personnel and sensitive medical information.”

TrueLine provides marketing help and consulting for businesses and publishes magazines on the equity and legal professions.

Salas filed a complaint over the firing with the Maine Human Rights Commission. In April, she received a right-to-sue letter from the commission, which can be issued if the commission fails to act on a complaint within 180 days of filing.

Her suit was initially filed in Superior Court in Cumberland County and moved to federal court in early August.